The Children Bowel Management Scoring Tool (PBMST) was created to help manage constipation in pediatric patients. The study was divided into two stages: questionnaire creation and bowel management score building. About two questionnaires were developed: one for children aged 8-18 years to self-report and one for children aged 4-8 years to be proxied by their parents. There were questions about physical symptoms (n = 6), emotional elements (n = 2), social activities/school (n = 1), and therapy (n = 1). Patients (or their parents) experiencing constipation answered the questionnaire. The Cohen weighted kappa coefficient () was used to calculate the repeatability of each question. A bowel management score was constructed using logistic regression analysis, examining the connections between the questions and their influence on self-reported quality of life (QoL). Questions that were reproducible and strongly related to QoL were included in the score.
About 385 patients completed the questionnaire. Around 6 items satisfied the inclusion criteria and were scored: stool shape (range, 0-3 points), anorectal discomfort (0-4 points), abdominal pain (0-3 points), frequency of fecal incontinence (0-3 points), caregiver help (0-3 points), and interference with social activities (0-3 points) (0-6 points). There were statistically significant differences in bowel management ratings among patients who reported no, little, some, or considerable influence on QoL (P<.001). The PBMST, which was recently created and validated, is a trustworthy measure for assessing bowel management techniques in children with constipation.
Reference:www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(22)00067-1/fulltext
